Brittny Hayes, Hicksville Girls Varsity and Middle School Tennis Coach, recently received the 2015 Community Service Award from the U.S. Tennis Association at its 25th annual Long Island Region Awards Dinner. The award is given to an individual, group or organization whose dedication to serving the tennis community is outstanding and unique.
A lifelong resident of Hicksville, Hayes started playing tennis in seventh grade, making the team at Hicksville Middle School a year later. By her junior year of high school, she was playing singles and was team captain for Hicksville High School. After graduating from Mount Saint Mary College with a degree in teaching, and spending summers working for the Hicksville school’s summer recreation program, Hayes returned to Hicksville Middle School in 2011 to coach tennis and began coaching Hicksville Girls Varsity Tennis shortly thereafter. She works summers as the Hicksville Public Schools Summer Recreation Tennis Coach for grades 3-8.
Hayes has distinguished herself with her volunteer work bringing tennis to the Hicksville community. During the summers she opens the school’s tennis courts to the Hicksville district and has been initiating and organizing a Summer Sports Clinics-Pilot Program in Tennis for Hicksville residents in grades 7-12. She coordinates an annual Breast Cancer Awareness match each year in October and during the off season, runs workouts in preparation of high school tennis for prospective players. She also volunteers in the area, building the school’s tennis program by recruiting and scouting during the summer for new middle school players. Last season Hicksville Middle School had approximately 50 girls trying out for the tennis team; of those, more than 75 percent had never held a tennis racket until tryouts. By end of the season, the girls not only know the game, but also excel on the courts. Hayes has also worked hard to refurbish the local courts and hosts an annual alumni reunion match and dinner.
—From the US Tennis Association Long Island Region
